high current LED lights

[J.C.E]

This week I nearly learned a hard lesson re this!! (using a Lutron RA2 inline dimmer to control 6x 700ma 13w LED fittings)

https://www.lucent-lighting.com/site/assets/files/6952/2605-cb-tl-1.pdf

So I thought 6x 13w=78w- thats fine its well within Lutrons stated 150w of LED load.
But after having issues with the dimmer- Lutron told me it has a 1amp load max. (6x 700ma= 4.2a so its too load)
But I put my clamp meter on the line cable coming out the dimmer when the 6no lights were on and it was only pulling 0.3a AC (78w/230v=0.3a)

What is the correct way of working out current when in comes to DC lighting?

So I managed to split the circuit into 2x 3 fittings and the driver had dip-switches to change the ma output- so I ran them all at 250ma (so both Lutron dimmers with 0.75a load and so far so good)

I am seeing more and more 350ma/700ma/1050ma LED fittings on the market- but how are they being controlled with dimmers?

For example:

Eyeconic Mini Adjustable Recessed Downlight | PHOS

www.phos.co.uk

say if they was 10x of the above on one circuit (14w, 1050ma)- how can it be controlled as one circuit?

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/DataSheets/Varilight/VLMJP300_Datasheet.pdf

This can handle the wattage but can it handle the current? (rated at max 2.2a)

Cheers

 

[Lucien Nunes]

This is mighty confusing. The Lutron dimmer is dimming the 230V AC, right? In which case the 700mA current on the ELV DC output side of the driver is neither here nor there, the ELV circuit is not passing through the dimmer. It's the 0.3A AC input to the driver you measured that has to be within the dimmer's 1A limit. The AC input current to the driver is always going to be lower, sometimes much lower, than the DC output current. Therefore I think the problem is compatibility, not overload.

Are you sure the drivers are the phase-angle controlled versions (I see Lucent offer various options including non-dimmable, DALI etc.)

 

[J.C.E]

This is mighty confusing. The Lutron dimmer is dimming the 240V AC, right? In which case the 700mA current on the ELV DC side of each driver is neither here nor there, the ELV circuit is not passing through the dimmer. It's the 0.3A AC input to the driver you measured that has to be within the dimmer's 1A limit. The AC input current to the driver is always going to be lower, sometimes much lower, than the DC output current. Therefore I think the problem is compatibility, not overload.

Are you sure the drivers are the phase-angle controlled versions (I see Lucent offer various options including non-dimmable, DALI etc.)

Thanks
These are the drivers

ELED-15 CT Series | Constant Current LED Drivers

ELED ELED-15 CT Series Constant Current LED Drivers . UK stock available now, call 01844 20 44 20 to order today.

www.ecopacpower.co.uk

 

[J.C.E]

I think I have a better understanding of this now!
So on the driver it will state a input current (so for the drivers in hand it is 0.15a) (this is the AC side- which the dimmer is concerned with)
I have 6x drivers so a total of 0.9a- so I should be under the Lutron RA2 inline dimmer max limit of 1a

Do I under stand it better?

However it was causing the dimmer to go into fault mode- I have since split the circuit in half (1x dimmer with 3x fittings and another dimmer with the other 3x fittings- and it has been ok so far..)

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Yes, the driver AC input current must be within the dimmer's current limit, and as a separate deal the power must be within the dimmer's power limit. Exceed either of those and it might physically fail / burn out. But you seem to have had a compatibility issue where although both the current and the power were within the stated limits, it still didn't work correctly until you divided the load up. LED drivers are complex beasts relative to the humble filament and can have all sorts of specific behaviours that can cause dimmer malfunction. It seems a common experience that some pairings of dimmer and driver simply don't play nicely together even when you stick within the specs.

That is one of the annoying things about phase-angle controlled drivers and dimmers, and in truth is a symptom of using a technology designed for one purpose (dimming filament lamps) for something it wasn't originally designed to do (remote controlling LED drivers.)